The two American favorites, Shulman and Nakamura drew their first round battle--34.Bc7 forces a variation that leads to perpetual check. If White tries 36.hxg3 it transposes after Bxe4 Qxe4 and Qh3 while 36.Bg1?? loses instantly to Be4 and g2.

The first round
also featured some hot King's Indian theory cooked up by Canadian-American GM Pascal
Charbonneau and IM Irina Krush. Pascal told CLO "It's the first time ever I have had someone walk right into (home prep) like that...where it happens to be totally crushing. The final position is actually in our files." Pascal also gave his "second" in Montreal, Irina due credit: "Irina found Nh4." Nh4 contains the threat Bh3!, "it's really super complex." In the final position White resigned in view of the devastating entry of the queen into the attack after hxg1+ Rxg1 Qh4.

In another victory for USA, Varuzhan Akobian defeated GM Igor Zugic in a Bf4 Grunfeld.